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15.2.17

Things I do on a bad M.E day

This Valentine's week I have thoroughly enjoyed seeing everyone's dreamy snaps on social media, and reading heartfelt advice on Bloglovin' for those that find Valentine's difficult. I, too, have been gettingover a bit of a blip lately - although I feel better than on my awful days, I feel exhausted and overwhelmed trying to keep up with my usual routine. Thankfully I don't feel ill every day now I am on Sertraline but it doesn't cure the feelings of utter exhaustion. It upsets me that I live in an old person's body, that it is not even visible to those around me and how awful it feels physically. This is how I have learned to cope when I have a blip or fluctuation - I hope it might help you on one of your worse days!

♡Embrace spontaneity. Set aside your elaborate plans away for the day and instead put getting to know, listening to your body on your agenda. Don't be afraid to relax, rest, let go and go where it takes you, which leads on to learning to...

♡ Pace yourself. I dream of being the type of person to bake savoury muffins daily and still make Oscar's library sessions twice a week, but just meeting one of these is a big achievement for me. Every day I have only a certain amount of energy to work with and looking after a boisterous toddler can be tricky! It breaks my heart when I become too tired to speak, to read him a story. I tell myself I am a mother on my own terms and to not feel guilty, Oscar is so lucky to have a loving family, but I still do, leading on to...

♡You are worth more than what your body can do. Don't ever feel guilty for not keeping up with your loved ones, they should love and accept you exactly for who you are. You are so much more than a body, you have an irreplaceable personality and can still do so much in small ways, things that mean so much - even on your worst days. If you feel alone, don't worry - it'll all be okay! I'm here for you and there are so many loving folk out there, I swear there will be some kind soul waiting for you to find them.

♡Different people have different ways of resting. Total peace and quiet may feel heavenly to some but make others restless - music or radio listening might help. I find the dark helps me and going outside makes my eyes feel so uncomfortable. I like everything to be dark and still and not to stress my eyes. You might like to take a long bath or surround yourself in nature, feel the fresh air and sun on your face - or Netflix, duvet and popcorn time.

♡ Enjoy lots of self care. What are your favourite feel good activities? Days where I struggle to make my lunch, I always save a little bit of energy for doing my makeup or painting nails, even if I can't get dressed: it's so nice and makes me feel more confident, even if I am just lying in a dark room haha! Feeling the need to comfort or binge eat to combat bad feelings can be tricky: try to buy in some healthier choice when you shop, foods that will still hit the spot, such as popcorn with less sugar or salt, sweet or savoury rice cakes (these would be lovely to make on a 'good' day, a way of caring for yourself on the bad days) or even some sweet sweet strawberries or nectarines.

♡ Every bad spell or blip is temporary. Never be afraid to seek help if you find yourself struggling a lot of the time; do confide in a trusted loved one or feel free email me (icecreamclarablog@gmail.com), I'm always here for a chat, especially if the icky feelings aren't going away! I adore this quote: "There is nothing in nature that blooms all year long, so don't expect yourself to do either"

Feeling unwell has made me appreciate how good the good days are, days where I feel normal and myself - it's heavenly! I feel like I've risen up from the mud, the murky depths of dwelling on tiny, silly every day issues and can fully appreciate everything given to me: the sun coming out, being able to sample the incredible array of food in supermarkets lol food again, free healthcare, the miracle of each season, libraries yesss free books: everything is absolutely amazing if we think about it! We are free human beings and the world is our oyster: we can grow flowers, start a family, follow our dreams. PS this article does by no means take the place of proper help and treatment. Whatever you are going through, whatever help you might find, find someone to talk to, www.betterhelp.com/therapists

This is such an important post. Well done Elizabeth! It must be difficult to face that type of situation, so looking at the positive is the best way to avoid feeling down. Self care is really important, and so is the realisation that you are much more than that, and as you say it is just temporary! You provide great support for your readers, I really admire that :)I hope you feel better soon ♥

This is a great post, I'm going to bookmark it and save it for when I'm having a bad day. It's so important to remember these things, and not punish ourselves when having a bad day. I also love what you said about every blip being temporary as it's so easy to think that your bad day could turn into a bad week, month, year... realising it is temporary as a very calming thought!!